The Open, greatest moments: Ben Hogan by four, Carnoustie 1953

The Open, greatest moments: Ben Hogan's performance in winning the 1953 Open
will forever be seen as among the best Open achievements of all time.

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Hogan by four: Ben Hogan's performance in winning the 1953 Open will forever be seen as among the best Open achievements of all time

Image 1 of 5

Hogan by four: Ben Hogan's performance in winning the 1953 Open will forever be seen as among the best Open achievements of all time

Image 1 of 5

Hogan by four: Ben Hogan's performance in winning the 1953 Open will forever be seen as among the best Open achievements of all time

Image 1 of 5

Hogan by four: Ben Hogan's performance in winning the 1953 Open will forever be seen as among the best Open achievements of all time

Image 1 of 5

Nikon F: this camera was the first to incorporate the Nikon F Mount for lenses that is still in use today, 50 years later

By Lewine Mair

9:23AM BST 09 Jul 2009

In 1949, Hogan had virtually been pronounced dead in a car crash, with his body so badly shattered that he had to learn to walk again. To the disbelief of his fellow professionals, he managed to play in the following year's US Open - and won it.

Four years later he had captured both the Masters and the US Open before he came to the Open at Carnoustie. Typically, he did not take the task lightly. He arrived a good week in advance, not just to get to know the course but to practise with the smaller, 1.62in ball which he had not used before.

After opening rounds of 73 and 71, Hogan was one behind two home favourites in Dai Rees and Eric Brown. By the end of his third-round 70, played on the Saturday morning, he was sharing the lead with Roberto de Vicenzo.

In the afternoon, he chipped in from the edge of a bunker at the fifth and followed up with a birdie at the sixth, a hole which would become known as Hogan's Alley after the daring route between the out-of-bounds on the left and the bunkers.

The sixth was also the hole which gave rise to the entertaining story of how Hogan's accuracy was such that his shots in the afternoon finished in the same divots he had made in the morning.

Two ahead after the 13th, the American went on to hand in a course record 68 to win by four - and what made his victory all the more special was that it was his one and only visit to the Open.

The "wee ice man" as they called him, was hugely touched by the locals' joy at his triumph.

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NIKON IN THE FIFTIES...

Once again Nikon is proud to sponsor The Open, continuing a relationship which began in 1993.

This great golf championship is dedicated to the uncompromising pursuit of excellence, a path Nikon has followed in the optical and imaging world for almost a century.

The end of the 1950s saw Nikon produce arguably the most influential camera of all time, the Nikon F. This camera was the first to incorporate the Nikon F Mount for lenses that is still in use today, 50 years later.

Today, Nikon makes high quality cameras for every possible need, from the most powerful, highest quality professional cameras through to cameras ideal for the first-time photographer, such as the D5000.